NRI Deepa Mehta signed John & Rachel Weisz in movie "Luna"

LA, May 23, 2007
Santosh Kumari

John Abraham starred in Deepa Mehta's last film "Water" which was nominated at the Oscars, won praise for his role as a law student who falls in love with a widow. He also signed his first Hollywood film "Luna." Talking about John's character, Deepa Mehta says that he is neither Indian nor American in the film and his origins are not specified.

John Abraham, a former model, has often considered one of Bollywood's sexiest stars in movie polls and has starred in several blockbusters since he struck fame in the 2004 hit Dhoom, or Bang.

John was not only her choice says Deepa, “The true-life inspiration for the film, Julia Hill, just loved John. Her approval was very important. She thought he looked like Antonio Banderas!”

"Unlike 'Water' John won't play a man in a dhoti playing the flute in 'Luna'. This makes him Bollywood's first actor to crack the West without playing an NRI or some exotic creature. He has a full-fledged role opposite Rachel

"Luna" movie tells the real story of a woman named Julia ‘Butterfly’ Hill, who protested against the felling of trees in the Red Wood forests in the US by climbing a 180 foot Redwood tree. From December 1997 to December 1999, Hill lived atop the tree in a small shelter. Hill named the tree Luna. She came down 738 days later.

Rachel Weisz is popular Hollywood actress with films like The Mummy, Constantine and Constant Gardner to her credit. She won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Constant Gardner.

Rachel Weisz would be the main protagonist, playing the title character Luna, John will also have a full-fledged role, says Deepa Mehta.

Keeps working on serious roles, Rachel Weisz reportedly has given her agreement to topline eco drama "Luna" that Deepa Mehta is set to direct for Baldwin Entertainment Group.

Hill’s protest bore fruit as a resolution was reached in 1999 to preserve all trees in the 3 acre buffer zone of the Redwood forest.

The film is scripted by two time Oscar winner David Ward.

Howard and Karen Elise Baldwin serving as producers.

John Abraham

John Abraham have lived in Mumbai all his life. He attended Bombay Scottish School and later Jai Hind Colleg for his BA (Hons) in economics. He also took up Taekwondo, under master Javed Khan. He was a sportsman, captaining the college football team. He later earned an MBA degree from MET.

• In 1999, he won the Gladrags Manhunt Contest and went to Singapore for Manhunt International, where he won second place. He appeared in a number of commercial advertisements.
• In 2003, Abraham made his Bollywood debut with the controversial movie Jism at the age of thirty. It was successful.
• He has appeared in a number of successful movies since then which include Dhoom (2004), Kaal (2005) , Garam Masala (2005) and Taxi No 9211 (2006).\
• In 2005, he agreed to play the lead role in the controversial film Water, which deals with the sad fate of Indian widows in traditional Indian society. The film was written and directed by independent film-maker Deepa Mehta. It had a rocky history; a first attempt to film it foundered, when sets in Varanasi were burned by an angry crowd. John signed for the director's second attempt to make the film, this time in Sri Lanka. The film has been popular overseas, exposing John to a much wider audience, and was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Film category.
• His recently released films are: Baabul, Kabul Express, Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love,were critically acclaimed and were averagely received at the Box Office.